The Xylom covers everything about global health and environmental disparities. Approximately a quarter of our stories come from freelancers (pitched or commissioned).

 

We take stories from all across the world, but strong pitches contain the following:

• A global story: it's in our mission statement! We specifically look out for cross-border stories that slip through the cracks of national and local media.

• A strong focus on the stakes, consequences, and solutions: we don't chase after news cycles, and we are not interested in "he said, she said" stories.

• A visual component: we want our readers to put a human (or animal or plant) face to an issue.

• Actionable insights: FYI, two-thirds of our readers are physically located in the United States.

 

Our rates start at 250 USD per piece for reported stories, and 200 USD for essays and op-eds. You can read a sample contract here.

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We welcome early-career science writers with limited prior writing and storytelling experience, those based outside of the United States, and non-native English users. ​To pitch us, email editor@thexylom.com and include "PITCH" in the subject. Please include:

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• Thesis/ message (1-3 sentences)

• How this story breaks news, or breaks ground on an issue (1-3 sentences)

• Why it matters (1-3 sentences)

• Evidence you have already marshaled, including links (1 paragraph)

• Expected length in number of words

• Note any visuals you would anticipate, including images and illustrations you have the rights to

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Please note that you will be required to submit a fact-checking file if your pitch is accepted. We will automatically reject any pitches or stories that are produced with generative AI. If you don't hear back in two weeks or have questions, please email us at editor@thexylom.com.